“If we’re not compatible, you’re getting kicked out as my sister,” read a text my brother randomly sent me last week. A few seconds later I got a Co–Star notification. Less than two months ago my brother knew nothing about astrology and rolled his eyes anytime I said anything about my astrological sign, now he’s constantly telling me about his latest updates and picking my brain about each sign. 

Astrology has become a lot more popular than a corny pick-up line that I’ve never seen anyone use outside of playing “The Sims.” It is another way of determining your personality type like the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator or the Enneagram, which are commonly used in classes and job applications. 

Understanding astrology can be difficult but becomes better once you find out you actually have many signs in different planetary placements. Each sign belongs to a different element that indicates different aspects of your personality. This is why an app like Co–Star is perfect for people with all kinds of knowledge on astrology. 

Co–Star provides you with your birth chart based on your date, time and place of birth that details all your signs with the corresponding planet placements. If you have no idea what that means, don’t worry because it explains it all. 

The app also gives you daily updates and outlines of which aspects of your life you have power, pressure or trouble. Co–Star has become famous for the daily updates that sometimes feel like a callout. “Try not to talk shit today,” read a notification they sent me once. 

Arguably, the best part of Co–Star is the social aspect that allows you to add other users and compare charts. You can also see their updates, which is a cool way to be able to check-in with friends or, if you are anything like my brother, determine if you should cut off a sibling. 

Co–Star’s usability makes it extremely easy for beginners to understand astrology, and keeps it fun for users that already have experience. While other astrology apps like Sanctuary require payment for a lot of its features, Co–Star is completely free. 

Another one of Co–Star’s competitors, The Pattern, is just as popular and insightful. But The Pattern has a different approach to reading your stars. Instead of providing you with your natal chart that gives you a list of all your planetary placements it tells you the pattern (get it?) of your life’s cycles. From five-day-long patterns to sometimes three-year-long cycles, the app explains how placements of the planets affect your mood and drive for certain periods of time.  The Pattern’s updates are terrifyingly spot-on to the point where it even had Channing Tatum publicly freaked out. 

Similar to Co–Star, The Pattern offers social features. The app shows only allows you to check romantic compatibility. Meaning you cannot check the platonic connection with your friends, which would make it weird for me to check my compatibility with my brother. Co–Star, on the other hand, shows birth chart comparison that illustrates your complementary placements.

I am an avid user of both apps, but The Pattern can definitely scare off newcomers with its incredibly accurate and text-heavy updates. Co–Star is simple and sweet. Its updates are fun and straight to the point and the chart compatibility feature makes it exciting to share with friends.